Dutch experts push for age limit of 12 years for e-bikes to improve fitness

Sports physicians in the Netherlands and the Cyclists’ Union have called on the government to introduce an age limit for children using electric bicycles. Experts do not want children under the age of 12 to use e-bikes, to ensure they get enough exercise and prevent traffic injuries.

Concerns over growing number of Dutch children with e-bikes

While e-bikes are growing in popularity in the Netherlands, making it easier for residents to cycle further distances, there are concerns that too many children are using e-bikes and fatbikes. Sports doctors are worried that this will have a negative effect on the fitness of children.

"Dutch youth already get far too little exercise. Only 42 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds meet the Health Council's exercise guidelines," chair of Cycling & Health Expert Panel and sports physician Maarten Koornneef told AD. Preliminary results from a study at the University of Twente and Gelderse Vallei Hospital have shown that cyclists need to use 50 percent less effort on an e-bike than on a regular bicycle.

Sports physicians see these findings as “disastrous” for children, stating that physical activity is vital for muscle development, motor skills and overall health later in life. Cycling is a very important part of this, and is why physicians are advocating for an e-bike ban for children under 12 years of age.

E-bike-related road accidents on the rise in the Netherlands

Not only do children on e-bikes get less exercise, but they are also involved in more traffic accidents. Based on VeiligheidNL figures, the number of high-school students with e-bike related injuries has risen by 500 percent in recent years.

The last 10 years have also seen a 40-percent increase in the proportion of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 in the emergency room with bicycle injuries. With all this in mind, the Cyclists’ Union supports the introduction of an age limit. 

"It's a sensible and enforceable measure," said the Cyclists’ Union chair Esther van Garderen. "It can be linked to their ID card, which young people aged 12 and over often already have."

Not the first time e-bike age limit suggested

This is not the first time that an age limit has been considered for e-bikes. Experts and municipalities have been pushing for an age limit or compulsory helmet use for fatbikes for years. 

Recently, the government announced plans to introduce a helmet requirement for e-bike riders under 18 from 2027. However, a higher age limit, above the 12-year one proposed, would make it harder for many children to get to school, especially for those who live in more rural areas. 

The government will debate the pros and cons of an age limit in December. "We are working on a letter to Parliament about introducing a minimum age of 12 for e-bikers," said a spokesperson for Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Robert Tieman.